Jackson County judge sets stage for abortion providers to reopen in Missouri
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A judge in Missouri has set the stage for abortion providers in the Show-Me State to once again reopen their doors to patients.
On Friday, Feb. 14, Jackson County, Missouri, Circuit Court Judge Jerri Zhang released an order that would halt a requirement for abortion clinics in Missouri to obtain state licenses.
After Missouri voters codified the right to an abortion in the state’s constitution, a number of statutes and regulations were ened, however, the licensure requirements were not. Friday’s judgment allows abortions in the state to continue at medical facilities without unnecessary procedures.
According to the judgment, the licensing statute applied only to abortion facilities and mandated doctors to perform unnecessary exams and tests. It was deemed discriminatory.
“Based on the foregoing, the Court finds the facility licensing requirement is facially discriminatory because it does not treat services provided in abortion facilities the same as other types of similarly situated healthcare, including miscarriage care,” Zhang wrote in the order.
Litigation will continue to move through the courts. A higher court could still appeal the order. However, the move has cleared the way for providers to reopen in the meantime.
As a result of Friday’s ruling, Missouri residents now have the freedom to access abortion care in their own communities. Both Planned Parenthood facilities in Missouri - Planned Parenthood Great Plains and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers - plan to begin to offer care this week.
“Today’s decision is a triumph for all Missourians: for the voters who demanded their rights, for the medical providers we trust to provide care, and most importantly, for patients who will now be able to receive high-quality care without fear,” said Emily Wales, President and CEO of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains. “Abortion care will be restored immediately. The people voted, the court responded, and we will do our part: serving Missourians in their home state.”
Planned Parenthood said the licensure requirement has kept providers from resuming care following Amendment 3′s age. Advocates said the move marks a win in the battle against lawmaker’s intrusion on reproductive health decisions.
“The decision to block Missouri’s abortion provider licensure requirements which made full access to care unattainable in the state is a huge step to realizing the promise of Missourians’ new constitutional right to reproductive freedom,” said Gillian Wilcox, Director of Litigation at the ACLU of Missouri and co-counsel for the lawsuit. “While we celebrate this critical win which was possible only because a majority of Missourians approved Amendment 3, know that anti-abortion politicians in Jefferson City are scrambling to put Missouri’s abortion ban back into place. We must remain vigilant and be ready to hold politicians able to the will of the people, not the other way around.”
For decades, Planned Parenthood said providers have been subject to the whims of anti-abortion officials with the weaponization of licensure processes. The majority of these health centers cannot comply with medically irrelevant size requirements for hallways, rooms and doors.
Further, the advocates indicated that no health centers are able to ethically comply with irrelevant requirements invited to keep patients from seeking medication abortion who had been subjected to an invasive and medically unnecessary pelvic exam.
“Today’s ruling is the direct result of Missouri abortion providers’ tenacity and determination to fight for their patients,” said Planned Parenthood Federation of America president and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson. “As our fight for patients’ access to abortion continues across the country, we will look towards the brave providers and advocates in Missouri, who weathered years of attacks while continuing to serve their communities. Not only are they making abortion access a reality in Missouri, but they are showing us the way forward. Planned Parenthood Federation of America is proud to continue this fight alongside Missouri’s advocates and health care providers, until every person can exercise their right to reproductive freedom.”
“We will not stop fighting to protect both women and unborn children from reckless, profit-driven practices. No woman should suffer, and no innocent life should be taken, in the name of an industry that refuses to be held able,” said Stephanie Bell, a spokeswoman for Missouri Stands with Women.
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